People always tell me how lovely it is to snuggle up with my books for centering and reflection… I’m so glad to be learning how to share a glimpse inside with you!
Here is a pdf download from
The Joy Book, inviting you
to spend a little time creating space for Joy.
Spend A Little Time Creating Space for Joy, from THE JOY BOOK
Wishing you all good things,
Ingrid
The flute of the Infinite is played without ceasing,
and its sound is love.
~Kabir
There are some days when my hands tingle with the energy to create, as if they long to be a part of the energetic expression of love and beauty and joy in the world. It’s fair to say that creating with my hands keeps me grounded, contented in my earthly life, and participating in the dance of the universe. I was happy to read this passage about the mystical poet Kabir, in Evelyn Underhill’s introduction to Songs Of Kabir ,
“Kabir was a weaver, a simple and unlettered man who earned his living at the loom. Like Paul the tent maker, Boehme the cobbler, Bunyan the tinker, Tersteegen the ribbon-maker, he knew how to combine vision and industry; the work of his hands helped rather than hindered the impassioned meditation of his heart.”
I hesitate to compare my life with Kabir, but only to say that I do take inspiration from this passage- that our work in the world, the work of our hands, might help rather than hinder the meditations of the heart. Our work might be itself a form of meditation, and our life might be our practice. It’s a game of joy; a duet, a symphony; an energetic dance; a waltz of sorts, splendid and good.
The creator brought into being the Game of Joy:
and from the word Om the Creation sprang.
The earth is His joy; His joy is the sky;
His joy is the flashing of the sun and moon;
His joy is the beginning, the middle, and the end;
His joy is eyes, darkness, and light;
Oceans and waves are his joy…
~Kabir
What a day of gladness is that day in which my Beloved,
who is my treasure, comes to my house!
~Kabir
Here are some new souvenirs from the The Landscape of Joy. The Landscape of Joy is my own name for the Heart Realm, The Compassion Realm ~ the place we hold within that is of oneness, love, light, truth, bliss, the spirit- which we can return to at any time for nurturing, and which we can carry into the world.
This week I was shown a vision of my little shop as a souvenir shop, much like one you would cross through on your way into a museum or a botanical garden. I took this vision further, and as I recently had a guest exclaim she felt she had tumbled into heaven on her visit here, I imagined my shop full of books and gifts just outside of the entrance to the realm of the heart( my heart, your heart, the spiritual center in us all). And then I thought, why Ingrid, why on the edge, why not plunk yourself right down into the middle of it and live and work from there? And I realized that we were here all along, only I had forgotten.
And that’s what I make my poems and books and gifts for- for remembering. I have loved producing these new gifts, each an invitation, a remembrance, a doorway into Now…
Let’s start with the mini fold out accordion prayers: I’ve made fold-out accordions with lovely photographs on one side, and a prayer on the other. They are finished with ribbons and pretty cameos. They are perfect for an altar, a dashboard, a desk, or to give to a friend.
May all beings everywhere be free from suffering.
May all beings everywhere be fed.
May all beings everywhere know joy.
May all beings everywhere awaken
to the light of their true nature.
As mothers, we pray for a world of peace.
We pray for a world of joy.
We pray for the nourishment and safety of our children.
We pray for wonder, enthusiasm, goodness and truth;
For compassion, love, and kindness.
We pray for discipline and we pray for maturity.
We pray for courage and strength.
And we give thanks.
The way we live is the way we give thanks.
Let our lives be a dance of prayer and thanksgiving.
Lord,
Make me an instrument of thy peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon,
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying to the self
That we are born to eternal life.
And here’s a sweet spark for the imagination: If I Were A Fairy.
I’ve combined a whimsical poem with some favorite vintage fairy illustrations to make the sweetest little treasure book.
If I were a fairy…
I’d live in a summer garden with a lovely ocean view.
I’d drink honeysuckle nectar, and bathe in the morning dew.
I’d make as many memories as stars alight the sky.
I’d laugh when I was happy, and cry if I wanted to cry.
I’d ride on gentle breezes and flit from there to here.
And in winter when it freezes, I’d find a house of cheer
where children live and play and spill their sweet crumbs on the floor.
I’d build a nest beneath a bed, in a dolls house, or a drawer.
I’d be happy with those children, and peaceful on my own.
I’d be joyful all the seasons, and in love my whole life long.
~Ingrid Goff-Maidoff
And, last but not least… and not last for long, TWELVE WAYS TO GET HAPPY
I’ve used more wonderful vintage children’s illustrations, with colorful pick-me-up suggestions sure to turn around crankiness, boredom or ennui. With glitter accents and golden thread, this is 14 pages with an envelope for gifting.